National Park Baby Shower

      I haven't posted any baby showers in a while, but it isn't because I haven't done any. I actually did an outdoor "lumberjack" themed shower back in the fall, but I didn't post about it. That one came together fairly easily and actually turned out cuter than I had even hoped. This story is a little different...

    As a refresher if you are reading this and you don't know me "in real life", I am from a large family and have five sisters. My oldest sister has kids, I, of course, have kids, but none of the "little girls" (the collective nickname for the set of sisters that are separated from my oldest sister and me by at least ten years or more) hadn't reached that milestone. Until this year! The fourth sister is expecting, due in April, and everyone is deliriously happy for her, she is made to be a mom.

    So, that mandated a better than ordinary shower effort. I truly do put my heart into any party that I plan, but this one, well, I wanted it to be *special*. Which meant it caused me to completely freak out. I could NOT get my "vision" for the look to come together. I spent excessive amounts of time on Pinterest, and discussed it at length with the other sisters but I was still having a hard time getting it to come together.

    We went with a National Park theme because, if you have ever checked out any of my other shower themes, you know I love to use the nursery decor as the jumping-off point for ideas. I love that many of the shower items can be re-used in the nursery, and it also helps to narrow down the billions of themes the Internet is happy to barrage you with. So, since she was doing a NP theme for the nursery (with colors of turquoise and orange) that dictated the shower theme.

    Yeah. Not as easy as it sounds! I felt like we veered a tiny bit into "camping" but you can't hardly think of one without the other. That may be why it was so hard for me to channel inspiration, because I do *NOT* camp. But I do love a National Park, I can thank my Dad for that. He didn't come to the shower, but I know he really appreciated the theme and is proud that he instilled in all of us kids a deep appreciation for America's parks!

 

   I frequently have to remind myself that when I am struggling with a party, I just need to do something. Crafting helps me to sort out what direction I want to take. The first piece I made for this shower was my favorite: a mobile. I crafted every little mountain and cloud with my own two hands. I love that the sun is the focal point, and helps to tie in the orange. I hung it in the middle of the circle of chairs. If you don't recognize the drab walls and enormous room from previous parties, it's the fellowship hall at our church. It's a beast to decorate, and I would know because I've done it a number of times! However, it is a great blank slate, and the best place to hold the 30+ women who attended. 

   Seriously, I think people are under the mis-impression that I have it all together. Nope. Wrong. I was literally gluing moss to the "L" (that's the baby's first initial) at 9:00 am. The shower was at 10:00 am. Yup. That's how I roll. I used the "vase-within-a-vase" technique for the tulips. The little jars have tea lights in them and they are from Hobby Lobby. I just added the brown ribbon for hanging. The outer vase was lined with these cool wood slices from Hobby Lobby that my oldest sister supplied. She also sent the pieces to put together the favors in the center.

  The favors were easy-trail mix, of course! I created the labels with the Avery online label making software and printed them onto Avery label stickers. My oldest sister sent the bags (they are brown paper eco-friendly sandwich sacks, so cute!), we filled them with a serving of trail mix, closed them with washi and slapped the label on. My dear husband actually put them together after I made him a sample. The "yeti" pun was my own creation-I cannot resist the opportunity to be "pun-y"! Ha!

   You can see it best in this photo but the "table cloths" are actually pieces of brown kraft wrapping paper from the Dollar Tree. My mom and daughter stamped them with the arrows to up the cute factor.

    This printable is a riff that I did on one from Pinterest that I couldn't source. I loved the image of the lantern with the verse on it, so I found a similar graphic on PicMonkey.Find the printable at the bottom of the post.

   My husband is still recovering from knee surgery so he got big time sucked in to baby shower prep. He painted the little cone mountains and tree for me. Big heart eye emoji for a guy who pitches in and does not judge his wife (too harshly) for her tendencies to go overboard and be a giant walking stress ball leading up to these events. The owl vase is from my home and the beautiful orange Gerbera daisies are from Trader Joe's. The confetti is from Hobby Lobby, and the Yosemite canvas is TJ Maxx, I believe. (My mom bought it for my sister.)

   These images are from old calendars that my sister bought at a discount. I loved the visual impact that gave, and they filled up a pretty decent chunk of space for cheap. That is always a win in my book!

  Not the best photo of me. The guest of honor was as cute as a button, though! She hardly looks pregnant. However awful I may look, it still gives a better idea of the scale of the collage.

     I like pulling furniture into this large space because it makes it feel less sterile.  The stuffed animals are ones my sister has collected for the baby's room (She graciously lent me things she already had so that I wouldn't go over budget!) My oldest sister supplied the cute tree cut-outs, they are wood pieces with the bark left on. I made a garland with them and more of the log slices to form the baby's initials. The middle name is a secret, so I left that blank until after he is born. The arrows are from Hobby Lobby, I propped them up in a vase with rocks, the canvas from TJ Maxx. One of my sweet cousins made the origami forest and foxes (so cute!) and the lantern is an old VBS prop. The little trees I borrowed from my church. For a small church, we have a great selection of decor pieces.

    The really cool NP canvas is actually my Dad's. It has a space for each park and he has stickers on all the ones he has visited. Fun! My expecting sister wanted to make the mountain garland, so as weird as it is for the guest of honor to make decorations, I couldn't turn her down. The moose head is a stuffed animal, the garland of mounted heads are clearance Target ornaments.

   The tent is hilarious. I really wanted one, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. This is actually PVC pipes I found at the church rigged together and covered with orange plastic tablecloths. It is held together by hopes and prayers! Ha! It was a perfect place to put the gifts. The cool mountain backdrop was painted by another talented cousin. I have zero actual art ability. The trees were loaned from my aunt, and the bears are a fun story. My sister got one as child (maybe 3 years old?) and when she found out she was having a boy she found one on eBay and bought it so the baby would have a matching one. So sweet!

My mom handled all the food. (I cannot do both, no matter how hard I try.) and did a great job. She recreated these cute campfire cupcakes from Pinterest. My aunt made the cool food labels.

   I looooved how this turned out. It is well over one hundred triangle punches I hot-glued to ribbon and hung in an ombre pattern on a branch from my aunt's yard. It served as the backdrop to the food table.

My mom provided the cute metal crate, the stuffed animals and the "Adventure" sign. They are all from Hobby Lobby. 

   I hand-sewed the teepee pillow, and created the printable in PicMonkey, again based on a Pinterest image (although that one did not have Scripture). Find the printable at the end of this post. The metal bin is from Hobby Lobby. The National Parks lantern is my brother's.

   One of my sisters made the hedgehog cheese ball. So cute! The really fun part is that the baby's nickname is "Hedgehog" or "Hedgie" for short. So perfect, too.

 This is one thing that I wished had photographed better. I used twine and tiny clothespins (from the Dollar Tree) to hang my sister's collection of WPA National Parks postcards. It was fun to see the one that I had sent her years ago! I was honored that she kept it.

My youngest sister came up with this adorable game based on one we played online. We set up a table covered with more wrapping paper and simply printed the instruction on it with Sharpie. We made a numbered list and encouraged people to add a children's song, book or movie title to it, but to substitute at least one of the words in the title with "Hedgehog" or "Hedgie". You could do this with any baby nickname, or any shower associated word. We told the guests to continue to add their entries during the party, and to initial them. We also said we would end the game at a undisclosed time. We had over 60 entries by the time we ended, and gave prizes to the last two on the list. It was a great way to keep people talking!

   It was a really fun shower. We are just getting started in the "sister shower" department, though. Another wedding later this year, and I am guessing this is only the beginning of the babies...Not sad about that, for sure!

The printables! Please let me know if you have trouble printing them.

Right click on image to save. Print from saved location.

Right click on image to save. Print from saved location. 

G.I.G.-Day 19

  I'm singing the same song I was last week: I am up to my eyeballs in party prep. This time it is for Josie's birthday, and as that is what has been consuming most of my time today, it is duly reflected in my list!

Today I am thankful for:

1. The party store. I didn't buy much there this time, but if you are looking for specialty items (especially of specific colors) you can't beat this place. It makes me happy-and thankful!

2. Walmart. I usually say how much I "hate" this place, but deep in my heart I am thankful for their selection, and the fact that I can get a wide variety of items there.

3. Balloons. I always say you need two things for a party: balloons and favors. As Pooh would say, "No one can be uncheered by a balloon"!

4. Perfect cupcakes. I baked 6 dozen cupcakes today. I didn't burn any of them, and all their tops rose beautifully! Win!

5. My Aunt's hospitality. I had planned on having the party at our church, since there is no way I could fit a dozen little girls in my teeny apartment. Buuuuut, it just so happens the power is still out there. :( So my Aunt Rachel to the rescue! She graciously offered to open her lovely home to the thronging horde, umm I mean party guests.

6. Amazon. They saved the day in the favor department!

7. Marshmallows. I really love marshmallows, and finding giant *cupcake* shaped ones? It was meant to be.

8. Ribbon. Seriously, party decor would not be as beautiful without it.

9. Frosting and cake mixes being on sale. Providential, this week, truly.

10. Flexibility. I am glad that we were able to move the party to a different location, so it didn't have to be cancelled.

11. Extra time. With all the cancelled activities this week, I had more time than I was anticipating. Which was wonderful, because I was woefully under-prepared.

12. Streamers. Another party classic.

13. Cellophane bags. I love these for a variety of reasons, but using them for packing favors is probably one of my favorites.

14. That my new phone came today. Self-explanatory.

15. That Joel was able to get my phones switched.

16. That all my stuff was able to be migrated to my new phone. This is especially important because I had tried to reset my phone to fix an issue and it *did* not respond well. I was really worried I would be starting from scratch with apps and contact info. No fun!

17. Printables. People who are willing to share their hard work on the Internet for me to use? For free? Bless them!

18. Paper punches. Any party decorator has at least a couple of these. I have a whole bunch and I use them all.the.time.

19. Evite. If having guests at the party was dependent on me sending invitations through the mail, let's just say we would be having rather "small" gatherings. I love that I can quickly send invitations for free (clearly an important feature to me!) and keep track of everything online means we aren't having parties with no guests.

 Note I did *not* put that I was thankful for parties...let's see what happens tomorrow. Pray for me!;)

G.I.G.-Day 14

     Today was a very long day. I was in charge of a church-wide event, and it took most of yesterday and *all* of today to pull off (not to mention all the planning and prep I've done over the last few weeks!). Once a significant stress is relieved it makes me soooo tired, which means I am pushing my very sleepy brain to perform. I apologize in advance for any typos!

Today I am thankful for:

1. Sweet, sincere compliments. It is really lovely when hard work is recognized with thoughtful, kind words.

2. Re-purposing. I was able to use a number of decorative items that had other original intents. It was money-saving and creatively motivating!

3. White pumpkins. Specifically, one very large (and beautiful!) one that was a gift from my sweet husband. It was my inspiration for the decor scheme today and it was perfect.

4. The help of my family. The song goes, "I get by with a little help from my friends..." but I couldn't do it without my family. My mom, my sister, Kelly, my dear aunt, even my kids pitched in!

5. Help with the dishes. As I've mentioned before, I *hate* dishes. My aunt and uncle came to my rescue, and after everyone else had left they made sure that I didn't have to do a gigantic pile of serving plates, pots and silverware all by my lonesome. I wish I could list this one twice, that's how thankful I am!

6. Spray paint. My sweet family covered pumpkins, feathers, and even pine cones with gorgeous, gold spray paint to match my theme. It was beautiful!

7. White dishes. If you have ever been to an event I have coordinated, you know I would be lost without my white dishes. They are the most versatile things ever and I love them.

8. White hot chocolate. Specifically this recipe. It garnered me a boatload of compliments, and was a huge hit!

9. Being able to share my talents. I always feel like it isn't humble to talk about your own abilities, but I do really love to party plan and while it definitely come with a heavy load for my anxiety, I am thankful that it is something I can use to bless others.

10. Inspiration. I find it in a lot of things, and in a lot of places, but it never diminishes how thankful I am for it.

11. Creativity. It took me a long time to realize that creativity is not innate necessarily, though it is for some people. For others, like me, it is a  muscle that can be strengthened, and a skill that can be sharpened. I won't claim to be the most creative, not even close, but I am thankful that I am allowed to do it in my own way.

12. Hard work. I know this seems like a strange thing to be thankful for, but to work hard, and well, is immensely satisfying.

13. Rest. You can't be thankful for hard work without equally appreciating the opposite: a chance to sit down, take a breath and reflect on the fruits of your labor.

14. That the day is done. I am thankful for the high points, the successes, but I am also thankful that the stress is over, and I have lots of pleasant memories!

   Are you thankful your day is done? What made you want to praise the Lord for today?

"Donut" You Know I Love You Bridal Shower

     I've done quite a few showers now, although the greater portion has been baby showers. However, not to insult anyone, but a bridal shower is not that different. People have the same expectations: decor, food and presents! And it is always fun to celebrate, whether for a new baby or a new marriage!

 This was an especially fun shower to plan because it was for one of my sisters. She *loves* donuts, so it was an irresistible theme choice. She also loves pink and glitz, so we tried to incorporate those, too.

 The piece de resistance was the donut hole croquembouche! I shamelessly copied this one, from "O Happy Day".  I am so glad that I did! It was very dramatic-and while it was quite a bit of work (and a little on the pricey side, but it was cheaper than a big floral arrangement!) it wasn't exceptionally difficult. It did require FIVE boxes of donut holes, though!

 My sister's fiance was an absolute wonder and delivered four dozen fresh, beautiful, color-coordinated donuts at 9:30 am so they would be just perfect! I topped them off with little flags I whipped up out of washi tape and toothpicks.

I also added a little banner that I made from colored circles and skewers. I stuck that in the bride-to-be's favorite kind: maple bars! Putting the donuts in pretty dishes added a little bit of class to these rather humble treats. 

I couldn't resist adding a little "flair" and some sparkle in her honor. I set up a "sprinkle bar" and used an amazing sprinkle set I found at Michael's and put them in cute little dishes. 

 I also added an array of dipping sauces. Yes, I know that it looks like I spelled sauce "sause", but it really is just my not-fantastic handwriting! Surprisingly, people really enjoyed using the sauces and the sprinkles!

I finished the table with a handmade tulle skirt-it took me seven rolls of tulle, but it was lovely. I hung gold circle decorations I got from Hobby Lobby overhead. My mom bought the daisies to finish things off. 

I put together a little printable of Colossians 3:14, "Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." and decorated it with a donut printable I got, again, from "O Happy Day"-what can I say? She has cute stuff!

   We had so many donuts they merited their own table, so we had a separate table for all the rest of the food. I set up a little candy station around this cute printable. (Because we needed more sugar!)

My sweet mom and aunt thoughtfully provided all the "not sweet" things. I don't even have it all pictured here! I put these cute flags on toothpicks and put them in the food, and then I used these printable donuts and glued them to skewers to put in the flowers.

More flowers with donut skewers, a picture of the happy couple, and this cute printable (Free! So great!) graced the drink station.

We (Did I forget to mention my charming co-hostess? My next youngest sister, Katy, is the other half of that "we".) bought these pretty sparkling lemonades at Trader Joe's. It was so nice to not have to re-package them!

The coffee area was a little more plain, but this donut garland made it a little more fun! We also added colorful dots to the coffee cups to jazz them up a little. 

I made a crepe streamer backdrop for the gift table. I also made the little banner with the happy couple's names on it. So many people did such a great job with their wrapping-and clearly appreciated the donut theme.

I, of course, had to match mine, too! Another appearance of those darn adorable "O Happy Day" donuts! I put together a little breakfast in bed set-hence the tray.

My co-hostess provided the inflatable donut-it was just too fun to pass up! We put these little gold stands and some plants in the seating area.

My tasty treats! I think the sprinkles really took it to the next level, don't you? The delicious quiche and sausage balls were made by my aunt and grandmother. We also served tasty mocha punch.

We had to make sure the bride-to-be coordinated so Katy picked up these adorable donut charms and chains at Hobby Lobby. Our mom had one, too!

We packaged up washi tape wrapped votives and candy for "thank-you" gifts. We decorated the favor table with confetti with the bride and groom's names (Party City!) and I used this cute printable and some circles on skewers (It needed a little something and I was short on time!), too. The extra donuts were for guests to write messages to the couple for keepsakes. It was our version of a guestbook.

In all, I had a great time helping to put this together. It is always so wonderful to be able to bless your family with something you really love doing! "Donut" you love it when a party comes together? I "dough"!

Linked up:
"Thrifty Thursday" at Living Well, Spending Less

Great Grinch Party

            I have wanted to have a Grinch party for a while now. It has long been one of my most favorite Christmas movies. My friend Sarah and I talked about it, and we agreed that it was a holiday necessity. However, we all know how crazy this time of year is, so we didn't want anything over the top that required too much time or money.

     I decided that I would not make any decorations before the party day-I put everything together this morning, the only thing I did beforehand was shop and make the cookies. I used a great recipe I got from my sister for "Gooey Butter Cookies" and simply added green food coloring.  Oh, and I had already made these "Cake Batter Truffles" a few days ago, so I just put them in a pretty white dish!

   One of my favorite decorations was this paper garland. I literally put it together in about 15 minutes! I had some paper strips left over from my wreath (yes, I am a scrapbook paper hoarder!)  and then I cut a few more on my paper cutter. I didn't worry about the widths or lengths, I wanted them to be varied. Then I hot glued them onto a ribbon, randomly choosing strips. It turned out so cute!

   I made the tulle pom-poms for Josie's birthday (I plan on sharing that next month!) and they were just perfect for this party. I printed off this Grinch printable and used some ribbon to make the frame longer for hanging. Then put green striped candy canes in a vase with this printable on the front, and a little green tissue paper in the bottom. I put my truffles in an olive dish and a few floating candles in a glass bowl and put everything on cake stands. My peppermint tree worked with the color scheme so I put it on there, too. My friend Sarah put together these cute "Grinch" fruit kebabs. The kids loved them!

    I taped my "Paper Straw Snowflakes" over the pictures on my wall. They were the right color, too. I love this kind of decorating- simple, easy and cute. I put everything up in about an hour, and that included printing the printable, and making the garland!

     The best decoration isn't one I made. Sarah's talented husband drew this amazing Grinch free-hand so the kids could play "Pin the Heart on the Grinch". He looked so great on the wall!

           The kids had a great time trying to get the felt heart onto the right spot. And doesn't the Grinch look like he needs a heart (or 6)?!

    I put together this "Melt the Grinch's Heart" game. I used cherry Runt candies (not only do they look like hearts, but they are the right color). I made put them in ice cube trays filled with water dyed green. The water did mostly remove the color from the candies, though!

   I told the kids they could use any part of their bodies to get the candy free from the ice. They were kind of hilarious! They really enjoyed it, and I provided several towels to warm and dry their hands with. Their reward for getting the candy out was another heart candy.

The favors were the last part. So easy and cheap, too! I had a coupon so I got the Market Pantry reindeer grahams from Target for $1. Just like Max the "reindeer"! The tree shaped bubbles were $0.75 for two at Target-just like the trees the Grinch stole. And then I tied two green striped candy canes with a little curling ribbon.

 I used more of the Grinch candy cane printables to top cellophane bags with! I love having favors and these were so simple and inexpensive, less than $1 each!

    I forgot to take photos of the "green" hot chocolate I made. I used this "White Peppermint Hot Chocolate" and it was delicious! We topped it with whipped cream, snowman marshmallows and sprinkles. The kids had a "teeny" sugar high, but it was worth it. We munched all the goodies while watching the classic "Grinch" movie and it was just delightful.

      We decided that this little party definitely needs to be an annual event. It was just perfect for the holidays-easy, fun, and low-key. I think Sarah and I liked it almost as much as the kids!

Linked up at:
"Whatever Goes Wednesday" at Someday Crafts